Since joining the Bowerman Track Club in 2015 and training with Shalane Flanagan in the buildup to the U.S. Olympic Trials, Cragg has proven herself in championship-style races, when her time doesn’t mean much in comparison to her finishing place. She won the trials, placed ninth in the Olympics (though she’ll likely move to eighth after Jemima Sumgong, gold medalist, tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs), and in August became the first U.S. woman in 34 years to medal in the world championships marathon with a bronze.

Her performance at the world championships revealed Cragg’s grit. She bore down in the final half mile with a full-on grimace, moving from fourth place to third by overtaking Flomena Daniel of Kenya.

Now Cragg would like to work on lowering her 2:27:03 personal best, so she’s heading to Tokyo, a notoriously flat, fast course ripe for speed. Last February she set her 13.1-mile PR in Japan, running 1:08:27 at the Marugame International Half Marathon.

Cragg celebrated her 34th birthday on Sunday at altitude camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where her Bowerman teammates treated her to her perfect day: training, a steak dinner (instead of a cake), and some needed quiet time. On Monday, she talked by phone with Runner’s World.

Runner’s World:What does that world championships medal mean to you?

Amy Cragg: It means a lot. It was probably the accumulation of 10 years worth of work. It was the last 10K of that race that I felt like I got to show the world what I had been working on for that period of time. It was really special to be able to do something that I thought I was capable of, but had definitely questioned along the way. It’s probably the best moment of my career. It’s given me a lot of confidence moving forward. At the end of my career, that’s something that makes everything worth it. Yeah, it’s very special.

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RW: There are some years that the world championships marathon field isn’t quite as strong as other races, but that wasn’t the case in 2017.

AC: We set out ahead of time that I’d put myself in contention for a top three finish and also be able to close the last 10K better. I remember when I got the start list and I was like, “Oh, this is going to be a tough year.” I could have potentially had a great race and considered the top 10 to be good, so it was really fun for all these things to come to fruition with an incredible, tough field.

RW: Watching the last mile or less of it was exciting, but it looked excruciating. A lot of us can’t relate to digging that deep and putting ourselves through that. What do you remember from that and what did you learn about yourself that day?

AC: There’s always this moment when you have to decide whether to dig deep or give in. It happens in every race and it’s usually never at the finish line—there’s always this pivotal moment and for me it was around 2K to go. I was in fourth place and I was kind of falling back and at that moment, [coach] Jerry [Schumacher] popped up on the side of course and calmly told me, “Amy, if you can get a little bit closer, you’ll catch her with 800 [meters] to go.” So I was like, “Okay, get a little bit closer and you’ll catch her. A little bit closer is just one more step.”

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It was that one step that was really hard and that’s what I’ll remember. Then around 800, I started closing, around 600 I caught her, and then with 400 to go I started focusing ahead. That part that I’ll always remember is that bit when I was so close to giving in. I didn’t think I was going to be able to do it. That was a really special moment and one I’ll always carry with me in races. When I get to that moment, I want to make the right decision—both decisions hurt the same in the moment, but one feels much better at the end, when it’s over.

RW: After that, how did you decide that you were going to target Tokyo? What was the process of deciding what you wanted to next?

AC: It’s kind of been a step-by-step process. We started in Rio last year. The first year was focused on putting myself in championship races, trying to get better at closing, and putting myself in contention for a medal. And then the goal for this year is to run faster PRs. Tokyo is a very obvious choice to try to run a fast time. Hopefully it will be a nice quick one where I can cut time off of my PR.

RW: Has your buildup been different than what you’ve done in the past?

AC: It has a little bit. I kind of replicated my buildup from before worlds. The only difference is my body has been adapting to the work, which is pretty cool. I’m able to do a little bit higher quality workouts while still keeping higher miles. It’s been similar in the way we’re going about it, but I’ve been able to do a little bit more and I’m a little bit more comfortable doing everything. So that’s been pretty exciting.

RW: Can you share what your peak mileage will be when all is said and done?

AC: I’m going to wait on that one. It’s a lot, though.

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RW: So, if you’re hoping for a fast time, what does a successful race look like for you?

AC: There are two things. You can’t ever go into a [World Marathon Major] and say you’re just going to run for time. It’s just impossible. Even if that’s the plan going into it, when you get in the race you’re going to be competitive. There are these amazing women in there. As much as I’d like to say that it’s just about the PR and running fast, there’s also going to be competition as well. When it comes down to it at the end, I’d pick a higher place finish over a faster time. But as of right now, going into it, it’s going to be about running fast.

RW: Your PR is 2:27:03. You’ve done that twice. I remember the second time, at the 2014 Chicago Marathon, and I couldn’t believe you matched your PR to the second.

AC: It was one of those things you just had to laugh. Beforehand we were going there to try to run a PR and I was like, “Yup, if I run 2:27:02, I will be ecstatic, and if I run 2:27:04, I’ll be devastated.” It didn’t even cross my mind that 2:27:03 was a possibility again. It was just hilarious.

RW: Is there any specific time you’re going for or just anything faster than 2:27:03?

AC: Definitely faster than 2:27:03. I really, really want to run a PR. Right now I think I can run significantly faster than that, but we will narrow in on a window as we get closer to the race.

RW: What do you think about the field?

Editor’s note: Cragg will face three women with PRs faster than 2:21, two women who have broken 2:22, and Mesert Defar from Ethiopia, who has won two Olympic 5,000-meter titles and two world championships at 5,000 meters.

AC: It’s interesting. I think it’s a great field for me. I don’t feel any pressure to go try and lead it and push from the front. It’s going to be nice to sit in. It’s a mixed [men and women] field as well, so if they go out too fast I won’t find myself completely lost in no-man’s land. There are so many competitive men as well that are in that area. It’s going to be a really fun field.

RW: A lot of runners get a little nervous about traveling so far for a race and so far outside their normal element. How do you cope with the jetlag, the food, and everything that goes along with such a big trip to race?

AC: It just depends on where you’re traveling, but for me Japan has always been a very easy trip. I don’t know what it is, but I get there, I go to bed, and I wake up the next morning and I just feel happy. I don’t know what it is, but I just love it there, which is one of the reasons we chose this race. You definitely have to be adaptable to the food, but when in doubt I say go plain as much as you can. I’ve raced in Japan before and I’ve never had a problem in Japan. It’s always been an easy and good experience for me.

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